variants
or counter-attacks
as in attacks
an attack made to counter an enemy's attack
suddenly the tide of battle turned, and the rebels, who had been falling back, made a furious counterattack
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Recent Examples of counterattacks
In June 1940, a 49-year-old colonel who had led the French army’s 4th Armored Division in counterattacks against the Germans at Abbeville retreated to London after France surrendered.
—
Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
The Institute for the Study of War assessed in mid-February that the counterattacks appear to be exploiting disruptions in Russian command-and-control.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Whatever chemistry is required for incredible players to band together existed immediately, and the remaining outfield players worked hard to support them, defend and create chances to put the ball in behind opponents on counterattacks.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
The Mexican team had no interest in trying to match SDFC’s ball-control game, nor did its counterattacks pose many challenges.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Tight baseline battles, pressure from Shelton and counterattacks from Ruud, using the violent topspin of those big looping forehands.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
For the period, Newport Harbor tallied two goals on penalty shots, two off counterattacks, one with the extra attacker and another on a perimeter shot.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
Syrskyi said Ukraine is conducting a strategic defensive operation designed to contain Russian advances, inflict heavy losses, and launch counterattacks where vulnerabilities appear.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Arkansas had done well to prevent Washington from breaking out on counterattacks throughout the match.
—Anthony Kristensen, Arkansas Online, 21 Nov. 2025
Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
The Institute for the Study of War assessed in mid-February that the counterattacks appear to be exploiting disruptions in Russian command-and-control.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Whatever chemistry is required for incredible players to band together existed immediately, and the remaining outfield players worked hard to support them, defend and create chances to put the ball in behind opponents on counterattacks.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
The Mexican team had no interest in trying to match SDFC’s ball-control game, nor did its counterattacks pose many challenges.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Tight baseline battles, pressure from Shelton and counterattacks from Ruud, using the violent topspin of those big looping forehands.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
For the period, Newport Harbor tallied two goals on penalty shots, two off counterattacks, one with the extra attacker and another on a perimeter shot.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
Syrskyi said Ukraine is conducting a strategic defensive operation designed to contain Russian advances, inflict heavy losses, and launch counterattacks where vulnerabilities appear.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Arkansas had done well to prevent Washington from breaking out on counterattacks throughout the match.
—Anthony Kristensen, Arkansas Online, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterattacks
Noun
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Sirens sounded across Israel as a precautionary measure, alerting the public to potential missile attacks, the IDF confirmed.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
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So far, Iran’s proxies have not carried out retaliatory attacks tied to the strikes against Iran, though that could change.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Russia still controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has recently clawed back limited ground in counteroffensives.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
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Dynamic shifts on the battlefield — with large swaths of Ukrainian land changing hands in offensives and counteroffensives in the early years of the war — have since given way to a conflict of inches.—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Friday, several of the victims recounted the assaults during his sentencing.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Afghan capital, Kabul, and two other provinces were attacked hours after the Taliban launched cross-border assaults.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Wednesday’s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country on May 8 tested short-range systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterattacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterattacks. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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